Despite the struggles, the Devils still clearly believe in Cory Schneider and think he will be able to figure out the struggles that have plagued him for more than a year now. The move to promote him and demote Mackenzie Blackwood on Sunday shows the Devils need to see what they have in their $6 million goaltender.

New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider, left, blocks a shot by Anaheim Ducks left wing Andrew Cogliano during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018.(Photo11: Chris Carlson, AP)

Schneider’s American Hockey League conditioning assignment was terminated Sunday and the Devils sent Blackwood back to Binghamton. Blackwood was coming off a stellar performance in Montreal, where he made 37 saves in a 3-2 overtime win over the Canadiens at Bell Centre. It was his first NHL appearance since playing in the AHL All-Star Classic.

Blackwood has been the best goalie for the Devils this season but three is a crowd and the organization can let him play in the AHL while they make some tough decisions. Keith Kinkaid is in a walk year and could be traded if there is a willing suitor. He doesn’t have a large body of work to go off of but his performance last spring to backstop the Devils to the playoffs could be attractive to a team in the hunt with goaltending concerns.

Teams aren’t exactly lining up to make a deal for a struggling 32-year-old goalie getting paid $6 million a year through 2023, but Schneider also has a no-trade clause in his contract anyway. The Devils could choose to use their cap space to buy him out after the season but that’s not exactly what any team wants to use cap space for.

Schneider was underwhelming in two AHL conditioning stints this season, one following his offseason hip surgery and the most recent one to rehab a strained abdomen, posting a .881 save percentage and a 3.24 GAA. His NHL numbers are the worst of his career: .852 save percentage, 4.66 GAA.

However, he'll start one of the Devils’ four home games this week and back-to-back games next weekend, so we’ll find out if there really is a light at the end of the tunnel.